1. Teaching and Learning Phonics at Dobwalls Primary School

2. Phonics is the way that we teach children to read and write
Phonics is the way that we teach children to read and write. Children will learn letter sounds and how to blend them to make words.

3. Phonic terms your child will learn at school
Phoneme: The smallest units of sound that are found within a word.
Grapheme: The written spelling of the sound, e.g. th
Diagraph: Two letters that make one sound when read, e.g. ai
Split diagraph: Two letters that make one sound, but are ‘split’ apart, e.g. time, bake
Trigraph: Three letters that make one sound, e.g. igh
CVC: Stands for consonant, vowel, consonant.
Segmenting: Breaking up a word into its sounds (sound buttons).
Blending : Putting the sounds together to read a word.
Red words: Words that cannot easily be decoded using phonics.

4. Saying the sounds
Sounds should be articulated clearly and precisely – this is really important for successful blending.

5. Read Write Inc
Read Write Inc is the programme that we use to teach phonics. To begin with, we will learn a new phoneme on most days.
Each day there will be a minute session to introduce the new phoneme. Children will then practice saying it, writing it and blending it in small groups. They will have the opportunity to revisit this throughout the day during their continuous provision.
Your child will bring home a sheet explaining each new phoneme that they have been taught.
Children will be assessed after each group of phonemes learnt. Where needed, additional sessions will be put in place.

6. How can I help at home?
Practice each new phoneme that comes home with your child. Refer to the phonemes regularly and re-cap on all sounds learnt.
Oral blending: the robot game Children need to practise hearing a series of spoken sounds and merging them together to make a word. For example, you say ‘b-u-s’, and your child says ‘bus’.
Read with your child every day if possible.
Use the ‘tricky (red) words’ flash cards to help your child learn them.

7. Number formation
Over the next few weeks, children will be taught how to write each number correctly. We will be using a simple rhyme for each number to help them with this. This is something that you could also do at home when writing numbers.

8. Around and round and round we go, When we get home we have a zero.
Click for the pencil
Click green for go!

9. Start at the top and down we run, That’s the way to make a one.
Click for the pencil
Click green for go!

10. Around and back on a railway track,
Two, two, two!
Click for the pencil
Click green for go!

11. Around the tree and around the tree, That’s the way we make a three.
Click for the pencil
Click green for go!

12. Down and over, down some more, That’s the way we make a four.
Click for the pencil
Click green for go!

13. Down and around then a flag on high, That’s the way to make a five.
Click for the pencil
Click green for go!

14. Down we go and make a loop,
Number six makes a hoop.
Click for the pencil
Click green for go!

15. Across the sky and down from heaven, That’s the way we make a seven.
Click for the pencil
Click green for go!

16. Make a ‘s’ and do not wait! When it’s joined up you have an eight.
Click for the pencil
Click green for go!

17. Make a loop and then a line, That’s the way to make a nine.
Click for the pencil
Click green for go!